terrible TERRIBLE HABIT!!!

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valerialeek
valerialeek Posts: 65 Member
in Motivation and Support
I get into the terrible habit of doing the following over and over again:
I buy snacks, pre-portion them into zip lock bags with the calorie content so i can pre-input it in my food diary for the day after so i can count it in as part of my daily food.
Then i have one bag. And then next. And the next.
I stop buying snacks. Then i buy snacks again. And this vicious cycle starts all over again.
I just can’t seem to tell myself that i already had some, that’s it. Sometimes i get so frustrated with myself. And disappointed. So now i have to stop buying snacks again.
Its like when i had half a kg bag of mixed nuts at home (from which i did the above pre-portioned snack bags). I had like 350gr all in one sitting in front of the tv. I want to be able to buy something and control myself.
I kinda tell myself the usual “well, you’ve had one, you might as well have the rest, you already screwed it anyway”. How do YOU control yourself?

Replies

  • mayoosh_primrose
    mayoosh_primrose Posts: 131 Member
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    I totally understand what you're going through :( I think there can be 2 solutions to our problem; either eliminate the habit of eating while doing something else, like watching TV, or switching to low calorie snacks like carrots, cucumbers and fruit.
    Eliminating the habit can happen gradually by deciding to stop snacking for 3 days a week "for example" then taking it from there.
    The problem is, it's easier said than done, I've managed to beat it once but relapsed and still can't get on track :cry:
    Wishing you all the best of luck xx
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    Well nuts are the worst things that you can snack that will kill a persons daily calorie deficit. You can if want to make those snack bags smaller or change the snacks to something like popcorn. Now to break the habit you have to change the trigger. For example TV watching.

    You can try to set an exact time to have that particular snack at night and just one OR apply a little discipline and really not go down the snack isle in the grocery store.

    We all have something like this that we have either work with or work against. And when you say "screw it" the feelings associated with that are not only harming the waistline but your confidence as well.

    I do not have answer on how a person breaks their habits such as this, I have an afternoon snack habit that I just had to allow my self pre logged calories each day to fit that in.

    When you truly want to stop feeling like crap about it you figure out a method that will work for your particular situation.
  • dancing_daisy
    dancing_daisy Posts: 162 Member
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    It takes 20 minutes for the body to tell the brain its full. After your first bag promise yourself to wait 20 minutes before you decide to have another one. Just go the 20 minutes and see if its any easier to resist.
  • teetertatertango
    teetertatertango Posts: 229 Member
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    Certain kinds of snacks it is just better for me to buy in a single serving size. I never know when exactly it's going to flip from "yeah, I got this" to "must eat all the snaxxxx". There is a trigger moment, and if I catch it I can stop it, but it's risky for me to depend on noticing that tiny glimmer that might happen in the morning for an evening eating behavior.

    For TV eating, I get to eat lots of popcorn for not many calories. Watermelon gives the illusion of an enormous quantity of food and not bad calorie wise. Nuts are a really bad munchies food because of their caloric density. For me those are better for on the go food, packed in my bag.

    If you haven't already read The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, it is worth checking out.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
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    yep, don't buy them in the first place. I have the same problem if I purchase the snacky stuff, no matter how I try to portion it out later.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    Yep, I cannot control myself around almonds anymore, so I don't buy them. Easy
  • Chilli7777
    Chilli7777 Posts: 112 Member
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    If i watch tv then i pull out the ironing board and get that chore done. No time to mindlessly snack when my hands are busy. Cross stitching is also great to do if youre watching a bit of tv. You won't even think about food.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    I do not eat snacks. I eat two meals a day. It is working for me.
  • valerialeek
    valerialeek Posts: 65 Member
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    RodaRose wrote: »
    I do not eat snacks. I eat two meals a day. It is working for me.
    How many calories are you on??
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    edited September 2016
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    valerialeek wrote: »
    RodaRose wrote: »
    I do not eat snacks. I eat two meals a day. It is working for me.
    How many calories are you on??

    I do the same as @RodaRose, my intake is around 1800 per day.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    I feel you. Nuts are my downfall. If I can't buy them already in a single serving, where I can just buy this one serving and go home I can't manage them successfully. At least 800 calories in nuts alone guaranteed if I have free reign with apparent self restraint. Don't even want to think about what would happen if I just let go and eat however much I want.

    It's okay not to be able to moderate everything. You could just buy your problem foods in single servings whenever you feel like having them. No point in torturing yourself on purpose around problem foods when you can still eat them without having them in the house.
  • ltlriver
    ltlriver Posts: 35 Member
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    When I cut out carbs & sugar the craving stopped after 2 days and then, eating mainly protein & veg/salad was full for hours n hours n didn't even want to snack!
    As soon as I went back onto carbs the craving and extra hunger began again.
  • Kev1234567
    Kev1234567 Posts: 19 Member
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    If you feel hungry, drink a small bottle of water. Im not sure how, but it works for me. By the time Ive finished the water, the snack craving has gone.

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